THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Why would you book a boudoir shoot, if you aren’t proud of your body? Firstly, in my case it was because I had total confidence in the boudoir photographer to make me look great!
I met Julie (of Lone Barn Boudoir Photography) a few years ago and we kept in touch as fellow business owners. We’d met for a coffee in the beginning, to learn more about each other’s businesses, and I realised Julie was already an established, experienced boudoir photographer, who had lots of happy clients, but had just moved quite a distance into my area, so was starting to build her business all over again.
We joined each other’s Facebook Groups, followed each other’s Twitter and Instagram accounts, and sent each other newsletters.
I must admit, I always thought a boudoir shoot would never be something I would do. Never mind what I felt about my body, I’d always thought it was a “sleazy” activity and not for me. However, having seen lots of Julie’s work, and how it was very tasteful, when an offer came into my in-box three months ago that was too good to pass up, I thought maybe I should. I thought it would make a nice – surprise – present for my husband for his upcoming birthday. The offer included an extra photo, and a hair/make-up artist to prepare me for the photo-shoot. I thought that would be a nice treat for me, and a lovely addition to the experience, and the offer was at a price point I could afford.
Certainly, having a female boudoir photographer, who said she would show me how to pose, comforted me.
So, I booked in with two months to go, hoping this would give me the kick I needed to get on with losing some weight. After a month, I hadn’t managed to lose anything, so I gave myself another talk. Two weeks to go and no weight reduction, made me think about cancelling, but I don’t like letting people down. So, I re-read the booking confirmation email and took in Julie’s pre-shoot suggested preparation.
What to wear?
Now, this isn’t normally the kind of question I have a problem with when you consider clothes others see you in, but it did pose a problem in this particular situation: my underwear on display!
So, with one week to go, I decided to think about my outfits. Getting clothes out and trying them on made me realise I should have done this earlier! And it made my decision to do this now very real. It certainly forced me to think about what I ate for the last week. I managed to be good enough to lose 5.5 lbs before the event! I was, of course, cross with myself that I hadn’t taken it more seriously earlier, as I could have easily lost a stone and would have been much happier with myself. Hey ho!
Having reviewed what I could take (I was encouraged to take a few different “outfits”), I was surprised that I did have a few things that might work. But, I’d also found a nice one-piece in Debenhams a few days before so I bought that to take too.
The worst bit
You might imagine the worst bit was getting “dressed – or rather undressed” for the shoot! But no! It happens that the worst bit was traversing the private road and its potholes to get to Julie’s studio!
The best bit
Julie made me feel very comfortable. The make-up artist was also very friendly and we had a giggle before the shoot began. Julie was expecting me to be nervous, but it was because I had total confidence in her ability to make me look my best that I wasn’t worried. And, Julie is very thorough. The lighting needed to be adjusted quite a bit for different poses, so I was there a lot longer than I thought I would be. I did know that Julie doesn’t rush it, so I didn’t feel like just another client, which was nice.
Regrets
I do regret not having a shoot when I was younger as I now had some “age additions” to my body which weren’t delightful, but Julie was good at disguising them with the lighting and poses. And, I regret not losing a bit more weight when I had the chance.
Benefits
It was fun seeing the results of the shoot on Julie’s big screen, and it wasn’t long before I’d whittled the pictures down to the ones I would like to purchase. These were ready a few days later, and I was D-E-L-I-G-H-T-E-D with them. For someone to make me look nice when I hadn’t felt body confident, was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.
Well done Julie. Yes, this picture is actually me from that photoshoot. Admittedly, it’s one I’m happy to share on social media – the others were more personal and not something I’d want everyone to see! I asked Julie to capture my innocence, and I think she did that. Here’s another service that needs to be personalised to suit each different client.
The experience has made me get in touch with my body more and believe that I can look nice in underwear, even though I am carrying a bit more weight than I’d like. So, funnily enough, it’s given me the kick after the event rather than before as I’d hoped, but I can always go back for another one …
Maybe you should try it. Get in touch with Julie on 01794 516094. Website: www.lonebarnboudoir.co.uk/ Follow Julie on Facebook “Lone Barn Boudoir”, “Lone Barn Secrets” and “Lone Barn Photography”. Twitter: @lonebarnphoto. Instagram: lonebarnstudio.
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